Golf game device



Jan. 19, 1965 s. HALPERN ETAL v 3,165,930

GOLF GAME DEVICE Filed 001;. 31, 1962 2 SheetsSheet l I8 2o 14 W so mm:30 Ta G I INVENTORS STANLEY HALPERN JOSEPH HALPERN ATTOHNE Y Jan. 19,1965 s. HALPERN ETAL GOLF GAME DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 31,1962 .mil'...

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INVENTORS STANLEY HALPERN BY JOSEPH HALPERN 6 ATTORNEY United StatesPatent 3,165,936 GGLF GAlidE DEVICE Stanley Helpern, 286-16 36th Road,Hollis, N.Y., and Joseph Halpern, 810 Howard Ave, Brooklyn, N.Y. FiledOct. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 234,487 2 Claims. (Cl. 73--379) This inventionrelates generally to golf games and more particularly to a miniaturegolf game for use in the back yard of a home.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a portableminiature golf game that can be set up in the back yard of a home, in apark or the like, afford ing the player all of the exhilarations andthrills of the regulation outdoor game of golf.

Another object of the invention is to provide an outdoor golf drivingrange that is adapted to be set up in the back yard of a home.

A further object of the invention is to provide an outdoor golf gameadapted to be marketed in kit form convenient for assembly and storage.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantagesthereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the game apparatus shown in position on theground in the back yard of a home, parts being broken away to indicatelength.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the position, in full lines, of theweighted ball and golf ball after being played, possible positions ofthe weighted ball being shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the game showing the golf ball teed up.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view thereof showing the golf ball teed up.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the protractor used in the game.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the golf ball used in the game.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the weighted ball used in the game.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the pole and flag used in the game.

FIG. 9 is a top plan View of the measuring tape used in the game, partsbeing broken away.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a stack of score and plotting cardsused in the game showing a tape and protractor in operative position indot-dash lines.

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of the kit with the game apparatustherein, the cover of the kit being shown in open position, parts beingbroken away.

FIG. 12 is atop plan view'of a protractor and ruler unit used inthegame.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a golf game apparatusembodying my invention is shown in operative position on the ground inthe back yard 1% of a home, the game apparatus being indicated generallyat 12. The game apparatus includes broadly a measuring tape '14-, aprotractor 16, a weighted ball '18. and a golf ball 20 attached to theweighted ball by a rope or reinforced nylon cord 22. A pole 24 with flag.25 thereon indicates the position and number of the golf hole,respectively. The golf ball 2i is to be struck and driven by a golf club21 used by the player in the ordinary manner. A separate protractor 27and ruler 29 are used to plot the necessary distance and direction tothe hole after the drive.

The tape 14 is flexible and flat and provided with gradapparatus,

dbih ll Fatented Jan. 19, 1965 uations .26 on one surface thereof, thegraduations indicating yardage, beginning with 50 yards and ending with410 yards, the weight of the rope representing 50 yards. One end of thetape is pivotally attached to the crosspiece 23 of the protractor 16 bymeans of a pivot pin 30 extending through a hole in the crosspiece. Thesemicircular portion 32 of the protractor is graduated in degrees from 0at its center to 90 on both sides thereof.

The weighted ball 13 is used to indicate the distance travelled by thedriven golf ball 20. The weighted ball is attached to the rope 22 bytying one end of the rope to a U-shaped staple 36 secured to the surfaceof the ball 18 opposite its fiat side 38. The other end of the rope istied to a U-shaped staple 49 secured to and protruding from the surfaceof the golf ball 20.

The pole 24- has a pointed end to facilitate driving it into the turfand the flag 25 supported thereby bears indicia giving the number of thehole, for example 3 as shown in FIG. 8.

The protractor 27 is calibrated in degrees from 0 at the center to 90 oneach side thereof. The ruler 29 is calibrated in yardage from 0 to 550yards.

The game apparatus 12 and necessary paraphernalia are marketed in a kitindicated generally at 44 in FIG. 11. The kit 44 comprises a rectangularshallow box 46 of cardboard, open at the top and provided with a hingedcover 48. A false bottom 59 is supported on the bottom wall 52 of thebox by means of downwardly extending side and end flanges. A round hole54 is formed in the vfalse bottom to receive the weighted ball 1-8.Another round hole 58 is formed in the false bottom to receive and holdthe golf ball 20. A pair of closely spacedupstanding flaps 69, as isformed in the false bottom adjacent the holes 54 and 53 to hold inposition a round elongated stick 62 around which the rope 22 is wound,the ends of the rope being attached to the weighted ball and golf ball.The protractor 1o rests flatwise on the false bottom and is held thereonby an elastic band 64, the attached tape =14 in wound condition beingpositioned in a round hole 66 formed in the false bottom adjacent theprotractor. The pole 24 is held ilatwise on the false bottom by anelastic band 68. A plurality of other poles 70 with flags 7 2 are heldin flatwise condition on the false bottom by elastic bands 74. The flags72 bear indicia indicating distance in feet. A supply of tees 76 formounting the golf ball on the ground is positioned on the false bottomand held by elastic bands 78. A supply of rectangular-shaped papersheets 80 is stacked and held positioned between upstanding flanges $2upstruck from the material of the false bottom. The sheets 80 bearindicia indicating the number of the hole beingv the green are alsoindicated. Nine of such sheets, one

for each of nine holes, may be supplied, or eighteen if desired.

A stack of paper score cards 84 is piled up on the false bottom and heldin position by an elastic band 85. When the equipment and paraphernaliaof the game apparatus are mounted and held on the false bottom, thecover 48 of the box readily fits thereover, in closed position.

In playing the game, the apparatus is moved from the kit and theprotractor 16 laid on the ground of the back yard and nailed in positionin a tlabwise condition. The attached measuring tape 14 is thenextended, across th semicircular portion 32 of the protractor, over the0, for the entire length of the tape. At the free end of the tape, thepole 24 with flag 25, is driven into a selected portion of flat groundin the back yard suitable for putting, the pole indicating the positionof the hole which is being played, and the flag indicating the number ofthe hole being played. The weighted ball 13 is then placed on theprotractor over the pivot pin 39 and the rope 22 extended in a directionopposite to the direction of extension of the tape 14 as shown in FIG, 1in line with the tape, the golf ball 29 attached to the other end of therope being teed up on a tee 76 inserted into the ground. The object ofthe game is to drive the weighted ball 18 along the fiat tape 14 to thehole indicated by the pole 24 in the least number of strokes or shots.This is done by striking the golf ball 25} with the golf club 21 in theusual manner and driving the golf :ball into the air in the direction ofthe arrow vwhich drives the weighted ball along the tape 14 and pullsthe weighted ball 18 over and along the tape 14 toward the holeindicated by the pole 24;

The distance the weighted ball 18 has been driven is indicated by thegraduations on the tape 14, the tape being placed over the drivenweighted ball for. this purpose. For example, the weighted ball 18 shownin PEG. 2 has been driven 250 yards in a straight line toward the holenumbered 3 indicated by flag 25 on pole 24.

The protractor 16 will indicate any deviation from the straight line.For example, if the golf ball 2t? is driven to the right of the arrowshown in FIG. 1, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2, then the tape14 will have been pulled by the golf ball to the right of the O marl: onthe protractor 16 and the degree of pull or deviation is indicated bythe graduations on the semicircular portion 32 of the protractor. Thisdeviation represents a slice in the jargon of golf. If the golf ball isdriven to the left, for example, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2,then the tape 14- will have been pulled by the golf ball to the left ofthe 0 mark on the protractor 15 and the degrees of pull or deviation isindicated by the graduations on the semicircular portion of theprotractor. This deviation to the left represents a pull in the jargonof golf.

-As each shot is taken, the distance the weighted ball 18 is driven andthe angle of direction of the drive, if any, are plotted on theappropriate sheet 80 by means of the ruler 2'9 and protractor 27. Afterthe first shot is taken, the driven weighted ball '18 is returned to itsinitial position on the pivot pin 39 of the protractor 16, and the golfball 26 is returned to its initial position in line with the tape 14behind the protractor. The golf ball 26 is again hit with the club 21 inan effort to drive the weighted ball 18 the remaining distance to thehole as indicated by the flag 25, for example, 160 yards as shown inFIG. 2. The distance the weighed ball 18 has been driven by the secondshot is plotted on the sheet 80 by means of the ruler 29 and protractor27. Such shots continue until the weighted ball 18 reaches the puttinggreen G. A conventional golf ball may then :be placed on the green atthe point where the weighted ball 18 is located and the conventionalball putted into the hole formed in the green.

If, for example, the weighted ball 18 had been driven 250 yards on thefirst drive but sliced to the right or pulled to the left as shown indot-dash lines in FIG. 2 approximately 10 degrees as shown by theprotractor 16, then in that event the distance driven and the degree oilcenter would be plotted on the sheet 89 by the ruler S8 and protractor86. The weighted ball r13 would then the returned to its initialposition on the pivot pin 30 protractor and the golf ball 20 returned toits initial position. The golf ball 20 would again be hit by the golfclub 21 and the distance the weighted ball 18 is driven thereby and the.angularity of the shot are plotted on the sheet 80, Such procedure isfollowed after each shot until the weighted ball 18 reaches the green Gwhen a conventional golf ball is substituted for the weighted ball 11%and the substituted ball putted into the hole in the green. The scorefor each hole played is kept on the score card 84.

As in regulation golf, the player who shoots the total number of holesplayed, for example, nine or eighteen, or any selected number, in theleast nunr er of strokes or shots wins the game.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of ourinvention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to .theprecise construction herein disclosed and that various changes andmodifications may be made within the scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus comprising an elongated flexible tape withgraduations on one surface thereof representing yardage, a semicircularprotractor pivotally connected to one end of the tape, said protractorhaving graduations representing degrees of angularity relative to thecenter of the semicircular body thereof, said tape adapted to extendacross said graduations, a weighted ball movably positioned on thepivotal point of the protractor, a rope tied at one end to said weighted.ball, a golf ball tied to the other end of the rope whereby uponstriking of the golf ball with a golf club the weighted ball is movedalong the tape, the graduations indicating the distance in yardstravelled by the weighted ball, and a pole at the free end of the tapeproviding a target for the golf ball when struck.

2. A game apparatus comprising an elongated flexible tape withgraduations on one surface thereof representing yardage, a semicircularprotractor pivotally connected to one end of the tape, said protractorhaving graduations representing degrees of angularity relative to thecenter of the semicircular body thereof, said tape adapted to extendacross said graduations, a weighted ball movably positioned on thepivotal point of the protractor, a rope tied to one end to said weightedhall, a golf ball tied to the other end of the rope whereby uponstriking of the golf ball with a golf club the weighted ball is movedalong the tape, the graduations indicating the distance in yardstravelled by the weighted ball, and a pole at the free end of the tapeproviding a target for the golf ball when struck, and a separateprotractor and ruler unit for plotting the distance the weighted ball isdriven and its direction after the drive.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS914,873 Peter Mar. 9, 1909 1,857,267 Tyler et al May 10, 1932 1,982,808Hendersen Dec. 4, 1934 1,999,518 Stafford Apr. 30, 1935 2,052,988Procter Sept. 1, 1936 2,489,986 Pierre Nov. 29, 1949 2,522,213 DonigerSept. 12, 1950 2,649,191 McLaughlin Aug. 18, 1953 OTHER REFERENCESAdvertisement on page 20, Golf World, vol. 13, Number 12, August 21,1959,

1. A GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE TAPE WITH GRADUATIONS ON ONE SURFACE THEREOF REPRESENTING YARDAGE, A SEMICIRCULAR PROTRACTOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO ONE END OF THE TAPE, SAID PROTRACTOR HAVING GRADUATIONS REPRESENTING DEGREES OF ANGULARITY RELATIVE TO THE CENTER OF THE SEMICIRCULAR BODY THEREOF, SAID TAPE ADAPTED TO EXTEND ACROSS SAID GRADUATIONS, A WEIGHTED BALL MOVABLY POSITIONED ON THE PIVOTAL POINT OF THE PROTRACTOR, A ROPE TIED AT ONE END TO SAID WEIGHTED BALL, A GOLF BALL TIED TO THE OTHER END OF THE ROPE WHEREBY UPON STRIKING OF THE GOLF BALL WITH A GOLF CLUB THE WEIGHTED BALL IS MOVED ALONG THE TAPE, THE GRAUDATIONS INDICATING THE DISTANCE IN YARDS TRAVELLED BY THE WEIGHTED BALL, AND A POLE AT THE FREE END OF THE TAPE PROVIDING A TARGET FOR THE GOLF BALL WHEN STRUCK. 